Italians Resident Abroad Vote For Popular Referenda On Sunday 15 June 2003

After a long legislative process, which started out with the first bill back in 1955 and which along its passage has also required some important amendments to articles 48, 56 and 57 of the Constitution, Law n.459 of 27 December 2001 and the subsequent enforcing Regulation have transformed what was a possibility for Italian nationals residing outside of Italy into the reality of being able to take part by correspondence in Italian national elections and – in the case of political elections – to vote for their own representatives resident abroad. This opportunity extends also to referenda.

On Sunday 15 and Monday 16 June voting by two popular referenda will take place in Italy to repeal laws. The first concerns the re-employment of workers who have been unlawfully dismissed and the abrogation of the regulations that establish numerical limits and exemptions to art.18 of the Workers Statute. The second referendum is concerned with the abrogation of the compulsory easement of electricity transmitters.

For the first time ever Italian citizens resident abroad who are enrolled on the electoral roll may exercise their right to vote by correspondence within the time frames and ways set down in Law 459/2001.

So as to enable Italians to vote by post, without having to go to Italy to do so, the Embassy will arrange to forward to each elector by 28 May next an electoral pack containing all of the electoral material and an information sheet explaining the way in which the votes are to be cast.

By 5 June the Italian citizen will return the ballot papers by post to the Embassy using the special pre-stamped envelope.

Those citizens who do not receive the electoral pack at their home address may approach the Embassy in order to ascertain their electoral position in terms of exercising their vote by correspondence.

On this first occasion when Italians abroad may vote by correspondence, the Embassy is working, with enormous organisational effort, to ensure that all electors resident abroad have the possibility of taking part in voting on these referenda, in addition to the normal undertaking of voting operations, knowing only too well that this is an historical step in the process of bringing Italians abroad closer to their homeland.

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